Conduit-manhole or the like.



Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

1. F. WHEELER. coNoulT MANHoLE 0R THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. l5. |914.

vJ L@ nv srarns JOHN WHEELER, 0F CHICAGO, DIS.

contenir-Mantiene on THE LIKE;

Application filed August 15, 1914;V Serial No. 856,936.

[o all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, J ornv F. WHEELER, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Chcago, in the county of Cook vand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conduit-Manholes or the like, of Which'the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to an improved construction for underground manholes, battery Wells, etc., and While the invention is not limited to such use, it is peculiarlyvadvantageous as a manhole for receiving sivitchboxes or connections for underground electrical conduits.

Some of the conduit manholes heretofore made have been of integral concrete construction for the purpose of insuring a per feet insulation and moisture-proofing of the electrical connections Within, and While such integral structures afford good protection, they are so heavy and unwieldy as to be very, impractical to handle. Sectional manholes for this purpose have also been proposed, but difficulty has been experienced with prior sectional structures, due partially to the fact that it Was impossible to prevent stray underground currents from creeping through the interstices of the structure and causing trouble or damage to the electricalv connections within, and further on account of the dimculty of obtainingV perfect moistureproofing. y Y

It is the object of my invention to produce an improved sectional manhole which shall aiford perfect insulation to the electrical connections Within and provide an absolutely m oisture-proof chamber. To this end I have produced an improvedblock embodying as a permanent part thereof a layer or coating of suitable insulating and moisture-proof material such as asphalt Which is preferably located at the outer side of the block. When the blocks are built up, the edges of the layers on the blocks abut adjacent to each other, so that When united, either by fusing them directly together or through the medium of the filling material between the blocks, said layers form an integral or continuous insulating and moisture-proof shell inclosing the Y manhole structure.

blocks together and holding them in vertical o alineinent.

Specification of Letters Patent. i I )atented lVIaJI'. 12, 1918.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical sectional view throufll a Conduit manhole embodying the features of my nvention.v Fig, 2 is a. transverse sectional View. Figs. 3 and Il are perspective views of tivo forms of blocks embodied in the structure. .Y

The manhole comprises plurality of superimposed courses of blocks preferably of arcuate shape. The blocks 5 which are used for all but the first or lowermost course are preferably of the forni shown in Fig. 3, each being provided on its upper and lovver side with a groove 6 and a tongue 7 andat its opposite ends with a `groove 8 and tongue 9 to interlock at four sides With complementary tongues and grooves of' adjacent blocks. The grooves are made-su'lii'ciently larger than the tongues to receive in addition a filling material 10.

The blocks 11 in the lowermost course-are K of the form shown in Fig. 4, being similar to the bloclrs and having in addition an n- Wardly extending flange 12. These flanges abut end to. end and form continuous ledge upon Which thebottom 18 of the manhole is supported. This bottom may .be of concrete poured in after one or more courses of blocks have been laid.

Each block 5 or 11 has a vertical opening 14: therethrough near one end, said openings vbeing positioned alternately in oppositeiends fof adjacent blocks and being adapted to re- Each of the blocks 5 and 11 embodies as a permanent part thereof a layer or coating 2() of insulating and moisture-proof material such as asphalt approximatelypcoextensive With the block. This layerv may vbe afliXed to the block in different Ways, but preferably the block is provided in its outer face with a plurality of angularly extending recesses 2l which are filled by inwardly extending flanges or tongues 22 forming part of the insulating coating 20. The coating may be applied to the block in a plastic condition,

when the material Will flow into the recesses 21 in the block.

The filler l0 between the blocks is preferably insulating material, and may be the same as the layer 2O on the blocks, said filler l0 extending to the outer edge of the blocks and in contact with the edges of the layers 20 on the blocks. One Way of applying the filling layers l() is to lay prepared strips of material on the upper edges and in the grooves 6 of the course of blocks already laid and then applying a blow torch to the strips and the upper edgesof the layers 20 on the blocks to melt them into a plastic condition before the blocks ot the next course are laid. All of the edges of the layers 20 on the blocks are thus bonded together, so that a continuous impervious coating vof insulating and moisture-proof material inclosesr the manhole structure and provides a perfectly insulated and moistureproof chamber Within.' rThus the inclosed` electrical connections are protected both from stray underground currents and from moisture.

At suitable points inlet and outlet conduits 23 are built in the structure to provide `for ingress and egress ot electrical cables and the like.

By my improved structure the complete and perfect insulation and moisture-proof ing of the chamber may be attained Without the necessity ot making the manhole of integral construction with its attendant disadvantages. An insulating coating could not be applied to the outside of a sectional structure after it was built Without digging a much larger hole than the size of the structure in order to give access to the eX- @enee ei? this potent may te @Matinee for terior thereof. l/Vith the form of blocks herein shown the structure may be built in a hole of just sufficient size to receive it and at the same time the structure has an eXteyrior insulating coating.

place, a cap supported bv the blocks andsecured to the same by said rods, each block having a groove and tongue in its respective upper and lower faces and a groove and tongue in its respective ends to interlock with adjacent blocks of the same and adjacent courses, each block having outer and inner arcuate faces, the outer face having an individual layer of moisture-prooi and insulating material permanently secured thereto prior to the assembling of the block in the structure, and the abutting edges of these layers in the structure being united or fused together to form a continuous moistureproof and insulating coating inolosing the structure.

in testimony whereof, I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN F. WVHEELER. In the presence of- CHAs. H. .VHEELER,

W. W. -l/VHEELER, J r.

lve cents each, 'by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

